Sewage Sludge in the News

Posted on March 11, 2010 by Christy

Perhaps you’ve seen it in the news lately, or perhaps you’ve been seeing it in the news for a decade. I’m talking about sewage sludge. Time and time again, we
are challenged with the task of finding out what’s really in the stuff we eat, or in this case, what’s in the stuff we use to grow the stuff we eat. I’ve always been a big proponent of
knowing where my garden supplies come from, and I’ve done …
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Composting, Worms and Shade Gardening

Posted on March 3, 2010 by Christy

Another great question came in this week:

“Hello, I have a worm bin that I use to throw all my compostable items in such as veggies,eggshells, paper etc. I also have a big compost bin next to my worm bin, it is about a quarter full. I
throw junk mail and grass clippings, tree clippings, whatever is too big for my worm bin goes in this big bin. Could I add worms to this big bin as well to aid in the speed of the …
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Kale and Aphids – not a tasty treat

Posted on March 3, 2010 by Christy

It must be that time of year again… here come the questions about aphids:

“The leaves on Russian kale plants have a gray aphid looking bug on them. They cluster on the leaves. How to get rid of them and keep them off. Water doesn’t seem to do much.”

First of all I have to say that if you planted your kale in fall, the plants are probably just finished for the season and should be pulled. My kale plants bit …
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Hot Pepper Tutorial

Posted on February 24, 2010 by Christy

A fun question came in this week to Ask Gardenerd:

“I am growing a pretty decent size garden in Santa Monica, and I very much appreciate your tips and help! (i.e. Mulch Pit in Culver City). We are culinary people who have
found a true love in gardening. We had great success last year in most of our endeavors (38 tomato plants thanks to your fabulous cradle structures) but one category we fell short in was our
peppers.  We tried to grow several types …
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Help for Haiti

Posted on February 24, 2010 by Christy

I’ve been a bit paralyzed by all the different outreach efforts and options to donate to Haiti, and I find it
difficult to sort out what’s legit and what’s not. So because of that, I haven’t felt strongly about one avenue or another for helping the Haitians recover from the disastrous earthquake that
has left so many without homes or infrastructure. Until today.

I’ve been trying to sell my extra …
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Redwood Seed Flat Fun

Posted on February 17, 2010 by Christy

As a birthday present to myself, I purchased some redwood seed flats from Bountiful Gardens, the home of Ecology Action in Willits, CA. These redwood seed
flats allow gardeners to start seeds very close together without the occasionally tedious limitation of trays with cells. These open “half flats” (which I purchased instead of the full size
flats that are twice as large and twice as heavy) can hold up to 87 seedlings in the same amount of space …
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Wildflowers in Clay Soil

Posted on February 17, 2010 by Christy

A recent question came in:

“Hi Gardenerd!,  I enjoyed your podcast about the wildflowers, and as I already had mine purchased, I have a more specific question. Mar Vista = Clay. After weeding, can the seeds just be
scattered or does the soil need amending? I bought a Xeriscape blend, and when I started weeding, I was SHOCKED by the density of clay, wet clay at that after all this rain; but, it does drain as
there is no puddling. Raised beds for wildflowers …
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Death of a Garden

Posted on February 4, 2010 by Christy

A great question came in this week:

“Hi, I started a 8×10 garden in my backyard full of veggies and herbs this past summer, yet everything has died except for a few herbs because I did nothing when it froze here in Dallas…What
should I have done if anything to have saved it and how can I start growing things now and what is best to plant. Thanx from newbie gardener…. “

You’re not alone this winter. In fact, unless …
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Fine Gardening’s Review of the Go Green Expo

Posted on February 4, 2010 by Christy

Several years ago, when I started getting serious about Gardenerd, I met Billy Goodnick. Billy is a fellow gardenerd in Santa Barbara with… well, let’s just
say a lot of experience in the realm of landscaping and gardening. He was so supportive of me branching out of my own, and we kept in touch ever since.

Now, Billy has scored the coolest job writing for Fine Gardening Magazine’s blog. Get this – Fine Gardening hired him because they saw …
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When Aphids Attack!

Posted on January 28, 2010 by Christy

A great question came in this week from a cauliflower gardener:

“I was so excited to have just harvested my first cauliflower! It was big, beautiful and infested with little grayish white bugs! (aphids, I think?). I couldn’t salvage it because there were
literally hundreds embedded just beneath the tops of the florets. I have several other cauliflower plants growing, some are new, some almost ready to harvest. Is there anything I can do to prevent
future infestations?”

First of all, congratulations …
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